


Chocolate Flan

by VilleneuveStGrgs



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:15:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24073570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VilleneuveStGrgs/pseuds/VilleneuveStGrgs
Summary: After an unconventional one-night stand, quite suddenly Carol finds herself daydreaming about a certain Therese Belivet.
Relationships: Carol Aird/Therese Belivet
Comments: 31
Kudos: 122





	1. Chapter 1

1.

Upon waking up, the first thing Carol can see is some kind of soft-looking fabrics: pastel pink with thin white stripes. Her face is pressing up so, so close against the pattern that it’s the only thing her sleepy eyes can take in and process for now.

Pyjama pants maybe? The pattern looks like this one pair she pulled out from the dryer yesterday morning. Hmmm. Of course more than half of her sleepwear closet has to match with Rindy's somehow.

Carol blinks. Her pyjama pants? Why in the world is there someone wearing her own clothes and sitting in her own bed?

"Good morning Carol. Did you sleep well?"

The strange feeling thus pans out into silence as she keeps on staring at her beautiful, _beautiful_ yet unfamiliar bedmate. Halfway into mutual scrutiny, she shifts a tiniest bit and the whole world feels like an aquarium that just got jarred.

Wait– no. This darling face isn't completely unfamiliar. A whole bunch of tiny scraps of memories floats around and her eyes are trying for some way to stitch them all up.

But of course, she remembers the younger woman's name very clearly. Her tongue taps a slow dance in celebration: with an exhale, the name rolls out and then comes alongside a strange kind of satisfaction that can pierce through all the muds of her headache.

"Morning Therese. I'm alright… A bit hungover, but it's lighter than I thought."

In a loose t-shirt – not Carol's, her bedmate is sitting up with her back against the headboard and a book now balanced on top of her closed knees. Dainty fingers tap and slip around the pages, the tiny toc-toc sounds running like clockwork.

Therese blinks – oh, they're still staring at each other – and speaks up:

"You didn't drink a lot last night so your hangover should fade away soon. I prepared water and some pills on the nightstand."

So reluctantly, she turns away from the brunette, and sure enough the promised miracles are sitting right next to her reading glasses and her phone that is plugged in.

Oh, bless Therese. The glass of water really does feel like a little glimpse of heaven on Earth.

Pretty, beautiful, adorable (in her head these three words mean completely different things) _and_ also kind? What is all of this about?

Her heart is ramming itself against the top of her throat. Surely… she won't judge if all Carol does is staring with her mouth agape, and then when prompted into moving she can only manage to talk and act like a huge fool?

"Thank you, dear. So, um"

Therese nods for her to keep going

"Did we…? You know…"

"Oh! No we didn't. We just ate and talked for a bit before coming to bed. Do you remember a lot of last night?"

Carol almost sighs.

While this is sad news, she's actually sort of happy that nothing "Rated R" took place. Not being a morning person whatsoever, her brain always acts shitty as all hells upon waking up – but to its credit, at least it's _trying_ … though the efficiency leaves a lot to be desired. So there they are. In bed and very much clothed.

It's sort of a dilemma, all things considered. If it is true that nothing happened, then damn… What a waste, for Therese is just _so_ pretty it's almost unbelievable. But if they did spend the night together only for her to forget everything the following morning? She truly has no idea which one of these scenarios is worse, and which one she would prefer to be real. To do or not to do?

An idle part of her mind's also wondering what kind of comments Abby will have about this whole situation. Maybe something horrifyingly inappropriate but otherwise hilarious?

"You were one of the bartenders at Abby's event… only there this one time to help out the pub's owners. You're a photographer, is it?"

Therese grins and looks positively pleased upon this piece of recollection. Ow, the way those dimples are popping – at least she does remember _this_ even if nothing else can ever click back into place. Her heart sounds like it's having a grand time beating up her poor ribcage.

"I then asked you to come home with me after your service is over" – Carol concentrates very hard not to think of the tally of her provocative flirting that has lasted for 4 full hours, now rearing its head on the surface of her memory.

"But nothing happened, so…"

A possibility makes her cringe so hard

"Oh Jesus. Did I say or do something stupid? Is that why we slept it off without…? Therese, if that is the case I am so sorry–"

Eyes widening, Therese reaches out, puts a hand on her shoulder and softly squeezes – "It's not like that at all! Please don't worry. If there was anything off I wouldn't have stayed, you know. It's all fine."

A sigh manages to escape this time around: The mass of anxiety slowly slips away and is replaced by something calmer. Oh Carol, you're really in it now – is her heart's persistent yelling, in the middle of jumping up and down wherever it has chosen to lodge itself into.

Whatever, for she doesn’t have it in herself to care… Just, please, not in the stomach there where all the other butterflies are dancing to tunes.

"My God. This is so strange. Can I… Well, what I want to ask is" – She clears her throat and tries for a convincing chuckle – "You are not obligated in any way, but can I make you some breakfast?"

Their eye contact is starting to get just a little bit too wild. All of this is uncharted territory, really. No matter how minor, why is there this hangover if she didn't have a lot to drink as Therese has said? She can handle more than just a couple of drinks, if she does say so herself.

Therese picks the book back up and flips it around between thin fingers.

"Of course. I would love to stay with you."

2.

They run through a quick morning routine together – (Together!!!) – before moving into the kitchen to get the new day going. In the middle of flipping some pancakes, Carol is surprised when the brunette reaches into her fridge and pulls out what looks like quite a huge part of chocolate flan.

Huh.

Bright green finds her gaze and she secretly wonders about the kind of things Therese can see written on her face when they’re standing together like this. While her heart is still belting out rebellion _so_ loudly, without the more "conventionally adult" settings – that is, her sticking around near the bar as Therese worked, and the courage that came with it being nighttime and in the middle of a party – it is trying to tell her something soft and new.

Carol doesn’t remember ever feeling this way before. But then again… she doesn't really make it a habit to mingle anyways, much less swooning at someone the way she did all of last night, so it's to be expected that every single aspect of this comes off as strange.

As far as explanations can and will go, this should be able to soothe the wild heart's curiosity.

"Carol?"

"Yes, dear"

Therese blushes softly. Ah. So there it is: something settles within her and stops raging. Against all common sense as well as modesty, Carol feels her inner self preen and stretch with pride.

"Do you want to share with me? I’ve got work a few hours from now and I know that it won't taste as good afterward."

This helps stirring up some memories: the rich, creamy dessert that has melted upon her lips much like a soft dream. Didn't they have some last night before bed?

"If you want to, sure. Come sit with me now, our pancakes are done."

On opposite sides, they settle down at the dining table and Carol feels an absurd amount of warmth whenever their knees bump underneath the wooden surface – if this was Abby or her wife, she probably would have grumbled _so_ loudly before kicking the both of them all in different directions. So this is new.

"Well, let's see if I remember everything correctly."

Therese bobs her head around a mouthful of pancakes.

"As I said, you were there as one of the bartenders, and then after your service you agreed to come back here with me? Weren't there… oh I don't know, falafels or something?"

"Right" – The brunette chuckles and she feels so close to fainting. Focus. – "You didn't have a lot to drink, I made sure of that since we'd agreed to spend the night together and well…"

Does Therese blush like this all the time? Staring at the sight of those darling red cheeks, she absently stabs her fork through the center of a pancake and pulls it in two.

"The flan here is a thank you gift from one of the owners. As it turned out, you hadn't had time to eat dinner before coming to the pub so the alcohol got to you all of a sudden… Halfway on the ride back here actually, so we asked the Uber driver to make a stop for some takeaway food."

Captivated by her voice and by charming, soft lips, Carol feels herself lean forward much like last night (sweeter than the whole line of Monin syrups).

Reaching to tap against her palm, Therese suddenly sounds so stern – "You shouldn't skip meals, you know. No job should be _that_ important. Do you do that a lot?"

Her heart does yet another acrobatic routine upon feeling the unexpected warmth and care in her voice, not to mention their hands together like this!

"It can be so time-consuming, especially recently. Anyways, the project I've been working on will kind of finalize this afternoon… so I should be able to work at a slower pace afterward."

Though still squinting with suspicion, green eyes have taken on a calmer look. Carol realizes with amazement that the younger woman’s worry is genuine.

"Thank you so much, darling. You're so kind to me." – She lets go of the fork (thus her poor pancake), and lightly shifts so that her palm settles on top of Therese's.

Her blush is just _so_ adorable. Is she from New York? All of these years, always somewhere just a little bit too far away from the reaches of her foolish heart? The city can't be _that_ big now, can it?

"So, Therese" – Her eyes skip from their hands to Carol's lips – "Therese Belivet, is it?"

Another tug of her fingers for good measure and she's pleased to note that those flushed cheeks can take on even darker shades.

"You have work later as well? Around what time?"

"Hm, I should show up at 4PM. It's around Alphabet City."

"Oh, what a coincidence. I'll head there to get my contract signed as well." – They're now sharing Therese's treat from the same plate – "And… do you have anything to do from now until then?"

"No, not really. I have to swing by my place to pick up equipment but that's about it."

Therese sounds casual, if a bit too shy… Almost as though she's trying to anticipate their next words.

"Can I give you a ride then? It's the least I can do to make up for all of your troubles. After all, I did promise you that we’d have fun…" – Now her cheeks are beet red as well – "I don't even know what you must be thinking of me, being unwell just from a couple of martinis like that."

What this implies is clear as water: there’s still a few hours left between the both of them. This offer means that Therese would keep her company from now until they have to head out for their respective workplaces. Is she being ridiculous? Too pushy? Too much?

Carol winces at the way her heart is insisting despite it all: Trust me with this trust me with this trust me with this tr–

The younger woman takes some more time to chew in silence: She stares at their hands together on the table while Carol stares at her. Around the dips, fingers stroll through leisurely, rub around knuckles once, twice before slipping down to nails painted red and polished. Her little taps and caresses feel like they should make sounds, or at the very least leave behind some brighter marks.

When they once again look at each other, her voice is oh so light – almost breathless:

"Okay, I'd love that."

And what a strange girl she is.

3.

As breakfast ends up being a full-blown brunch they just spend most of their time together relaxing and sharing food, then at around 1PM she flips through her contract while Therese watches National Geographic on TV.

Well. Mostly Carol just waves the papers around while her eyes stay glued onto every single tic of the younger woman's features. The amount of giddiness she feels upon the sight of those lips enjoying the last spoonful of food is _unreal_.

Making chocolate flan shouldn't be so hard, there's a lot of recipes online for it she thinks.

In-between all of these private moments, they keep on a sort of semi-constant back-and-forth and Therese is proving herself to be quite a captivating little thing. As of right now, she is explaining why photos taken by different sorts of technology can mean totally different things altogether. Something about spontaneity, what it means and how it affects the meaning of the output.

By that logic, a photo captured on her phone is not the same thing as on her film camera – so much that the two simply just cannot be compared concept and meaning-wise. What?

Carol can only stare, hoping that her look correctly comes across as intense adoration since their eye contact is driving her heartbeats too wild to react to this topic in any other way.

All of a sudden, the younger woman sits back so shyly and clears her throat – "So yes, that's how I feel about these kinds of things… What time is it anyway?"

Sighing, she only wishes to hear her voice some more – for far longer than just now, well into the early hours if possible. But alas.

"I think we have about an hour left before having to go get ready. What kind of job is it for you today?"

"I'll take photos for the interior of an apartment, it's kind of upscale. There's going to be a whole chain, everything still very new, if they like what I do they'll ask me to continue with the rest of the project."

Now that's promising. She's so glad for Therese – she sounds like the kind of person who's a hundred percent passionate about whatever it is she sets her mind to.

Oh. Wait.

Doesn't it sound so familiar?

A new project? For a chain of apartments?

"You'll meet up with one of the owners at the first address of their chain? In Alphabet City?" – Carol muses.

"Uh-huh"

"On 103 Avenue B? The corner apartment with views of Tompkins Square Park?"

One beat of silence. That lovely face turns to stare at her with a soft frown – "How do you…? Hold on, let me check."

Humming to assent, she rereads the list of apartments one last time just to keep herself occupied.

Some quick fumbles on the phone before wide green darts up to meet her gaze – "Yep. 103, corner apartment with huge windows to let the sunlight in. Exactly as you've said. What is…?"

What kind of coincidence is this?

"I'm their interior designer, darling. Do you see this God-awful thing in my hands?" – Therese now sifts through all the walls of words on the first page with interest – "I'll be in charge of furniture and maybe some renovation from time to time… So in a way, we shall be coworkers. Isn't _that_ something?"

4.

On the ride from the brunette's place for her equipment to their joint destination, Carol feels more and more like her usual self – the tons of embarrassment from last night's mishaps are starting to fade off. It's _totally_ normal to score some devastatingly beautiful person during an after-work party organized by your bestie, only to grow too dizzy to do anything about it because you forgot to eat dinner, right? Right?

Maybe this happens to everyone all the damn time. There's just no way in hell she'd actually ask Abby for confirmation though.

Lack of nutrition and lack of sleep. Isn't that the most fascinating thing ever? At least she can delegate most of the buying and installing process for her team afterward, and then it's going to be her weeks with Rindy starting from Monday.

Ah… Life sure is sweet. Sweet just like…

Stepping out from her car in front of Tompkins Square Park, she's in the middle of putting her blazer on when Therese's lingering stare turns everything up a few degrees hotter.

The younger woman wears such nice clothes – she's taken a bit of time to change up in her apartment. A black shirt that shows off some absolutely _exquisite_ skin around the collarbones and grey tweed pants? Oh, _my_.

They don't look expensive, not at all… but there's just something about the way this whole ensemble covers her (unexplored. Sigh.) body that seems to punch against Carol's poor heart like an upbeat pop song.

The nearer they approach each other from both sides of the car, the more dazed green eyes look. Taking a huge, huge leap of foolish faith, she drapes an arm around fine shoulders, pulls their sides almost flush and could swear up and down that something else has taken roots and grown all in the meantime.

"Well come on inside then, you slowpoke."

5.

On top of pretty, Therese Belivet is _talented_ and Carol's fate is officially doomed. Oh no.

They took less than half an hour to go over the legal details for one last time, some last signatures and it's all done. Now she's just sitting there and outright ogling every single movement the younger woman makes: if the latter minds at all, her dimples seem to be telling everyone present a different story.

If Fred – her business partner – was surprised when they showed up almost hand in hand, he knows to keep it to himself. If he thinks it odd that she's still around after their fifteen minutes of formal business, not a single muscle on his face has twitched so far. As a matter of fact, he's already escaped out into the hallway to be on the phone for some other project she really has no need to get involved in.

God bless Freddie. The windows and the views beyond their frames seem to be paying Therese such high compliments, painting her features in this great light that makes it all so hard to ever want to look away.

With her head tilted to the side and chin against one palm, if she wants to lean forward any further than this she might as well stand up, walk over, pull the camera away and ask for the both of them to go somewhere so much more private. So why is she still here (barely thirty steps away from where the lovely creature is standing) instead of doing just that…?

Something-something about the way an artist's process of creation should always be taken seriously, it's this whole long speech she can't seem to remember half the words for. Normally she would not care, but still… she should be nice and try to be in her good books.

Only when those eyes glance back at her from the furthest corner of the room does Carol realize that her dreamy stares have gotten to be quite loud.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb. Just don't mind me, darling."

She turns to her phone and starts to play around, maybe takes a look at some dessert recipes or whatever. Rindy will be _ecstatic_.

When she glances up for the first time, Therese has inched closer to where she sits although now facing the other way. The staring restarts very seamlessly.

When she glances up for the second time, her unusual-circumstances bedmate is putting her camera away into a funny-looking bag that’s shaped like a black cube. Oh, so her little artist is done.

Soon enough, they're orbiting each other the way tiny planets are seen in space and her voice sounds one or two degrees less clumsy than this morning – "Have you got all the shots you want?"

Therese grips both hands onto the strap of her bag and nods shyly.

They go look for Fred out in the hallway to conclude the meeting: Some more pleasantries, a few curious glances bouncing back and forth at the way they're standing so close to each other before he retreats back inside the apartment and wishes them both a very happy rest of the day.

Leaning against the wall, she reaches out to caress the brunette's shoulder

"I've been wondering… if you're free tonight? Would you let me take you out? We can do whatever it is that you want, just a simple dinner together is fine by me" – Carol suddenly feels so chafed around the collar – "Please tell me what you're thinking?"

Christ, that's like ten whole phrases all packed into one jumbled mess. Oh well.

They make eye contact in silence.

Her delicate hand reaches up – maybe trying to hold onto Carol's palm still moving back and forth upon her shoulder – changes its course mid-air to dance around the bare skin of her wrist and lets the butterflies sing along to brand new songs.

Some parts of her retreat deep into a sad, sad well upon seeing the restless way Therese shifts on her feet, very obviously in the middle of choosing and chewing through all the words she wants to say out loud.

"I'm sorry Carol, I've already made plans for tonight" – Therese squeezes her wrist softly and holds their gaze in such an earnest manner – "With some of my friends."

In a way, she totally saw it coming. Her bedmate is just too kind to leave last night, too sweet to say no and go home directly after breakfast and now… She can only sigh and nod in understanding.

Does the younger woman have any clue at all? What can she read in her eyes and in all of her clumsy movements?

But then her darling voice once again speaks up, so soft and so bright it is almost unreal.

"How about… Can I give you my number? Would you like that?"

Oh, but of course. Does she even have to ask at all. Pulling the device out with limbs and fingers on autopilot, Carol stares as the younger woman taps the digits in and gives herself a call to have the numbers saved on both ends.

When she gives it back, their palms twist and pull together in such a way that suddenly no one seems to be able to hide anymore. If either of them has ever done any hiding at all. Her soft face leans in closer and Carol thinks that this time around this is it: yes. _Absolutely_. Of course it has to happen now.

They will kiss the way people always do in fairytales and she _will_ faint and it will cause everyone on this floor of the building a big, terrible and awkward scene.

"Is she your daughter? On the background photo of your phone I mean." – (So no kisses.) Warm green looks so, so serious. What else does she want to know?

"Yes. That's my Rindy, she'll be four years old this fall…"

"And… is there anyone?" – Their joined palms squeeze together around her phone and Carol hears: I want something more than "just a simple dinner" with you.

Repeating this same question in a different manner – all of them so outrageous, all of them so brave – her index and thumb curl around Carol's ring finger on the empty space that has been for quite some time seeing sunlight and thunder. Far in the past or just recently, a perfect number of years for Therese to have walked through New York and lifted up the lid of every other corner and after-work party, until finally stumbled her way indoors during the rare, rare night Abby had forced her to show up.

"No, nope. No one at all."

"Alright."

 _Alright_? The amount of wonder packed into this one simple word is astounding.

Dragging them closer, Therese settles both hands on top of her nape and stands up higher onto the tips of her toes. Kisses an inch or two too far away from the corners of her lips and breathlessly mumbles – "Will you call me? Maybe a little bit after 11 tonight… or I can call you as well."

(Just never on the lips,) another kiss comes on along.

Jesus. Oh sweet Jesus, how will she be able to drive back home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone :-) I've (more or less) graduated so it's now time to unleash all of my self-indulgent activities. Watching ballets all day long and then writing this...
> 
> I think this story will have one or two more chapters, so... Cheers and to be continued :)


	2. Chapter 2

6.

As per the agreement they've made to spend lunchtime together today, when Therese skips into her office a quarter before noon she secretly thinks that even with the wind-swept fluff of her hair, the darling young woman still manages to look too _phenomenal_ to be real.

Phenomenal… beautiful, delightful or whatever it is, Abby and Gen have been forcing her to expand her vocabulary lately. According to the couple, "What else do you want me to tell you two? She's pretty? The prettiest person I have ever met?" all things considered isn't a very good description in either shape or sense. Well… Come to think of it, maybe they kind of had a point after all – not that she'd ever admit it out loud.

Maybe life just happens in such ways that her brain can never be at its optimal capacity whenever she finds herself daydreaming of Therese Belivet. Therese, Therese, _darling Therese_ : her bedmate who's now glancing around her office with adorable doe-like eyes colored a bright shade of green.

The remedy is as on-the-nose as what one should imagine. To fix this horrible, so so _horrible_ lack of extent of her vocabulary, she's volunteering to stare at the younger woman all day and night to look for inspiration and maybe some more new words. All of this makes for a very solid train of logic and Carol pats herself on the back for having come up with such a brilliant idea.

Much like a cartoon character who's losing composure in front of their crush, Carol's reading glasses are starting to slide down slowly – _so_ terribly slowly – upon the top of her nose. Pulling away from the computer screen, she tries to relax her posture into something a little bit more casual than her work persona

"Therese! Hi. You're here early."

The summer-sweet grin on those lips of hers surely could brighten up the whole damn area if she wants it to – "Hi Carol, I finished a new job earlier than I thought I would. Am I interrupting your work?"

"Not at all dear. Just a few more minutes for my program to finish rendering… won't take us too long before we can head out for food."

"Oh, it's alright. I don't mind waiting." – Graceful as a nymph coming from woodlands untouched, the shy mirage approaches slowly as they stare at each other.

Do sweet deer like her dare walk up and tease smitten panthers out when it's daytime? – she wonders while anticipating her light footsteps. Up close, green eyes reflect a hint of sunray bouncing away from clear pupils: The darling woman is quiet and calm; there is an air of contemplation that coats every movement that she makes.

She looks quite sure of herself, that much is undeniable. Carol did not know that her heart would beat _so_ loudly for beautiful, talented and self-assured artists… Well, alright. Just this one beautiful, talented and self-assured _Therese_ for she is not so sure if anyone else in this terribly dense city could ever compare to such a young lovely woman.

Fine fingers reach out and Carol almost goes cross-eyed in a fit of stubbornness trying to track their motion. They settle first upon the top of her arms and she's well aware that the gulp that follows is just one decibel too noisy to be easily ignored.

Heavy with affection, her head angles up to catch the gaze she can now feel draping all over her skin. Therese rubs her arms, skips fingers across her shoulders before plucking her reading glasses away and placing them so neatly next to the mousepad

"How has your morning been?"

Oh. Hmmm. How has it been before-Therese? (This morning or ever?) Carol squints and tries to think of words – "I've been less and less busy now compared to the weeks leading up to our after-work party, that's for sure."

With a responding hum, her bedmate plays around, fixes up some stray strands of her hair and as a result sleepy warmth is starting to invade her five senses. Touches thoughtful and lingering on her scalp, cheeks and jaws, the darling girl moves closer all the while bending down for their faces to come together at the same height.

Dazed in her seat, a feeble thought springs up suddenly to tell her that _this_ might be the perfect moment she’s been looking for: She can tell Therese what's on her mind right this moment. She can ask her out on a date and hopefully make the both of them so so happy if she does say yes.

Their morning-after would have been too much too soon. The other day when they met for lunch would have been so rushed and unnatural – the queue in front of them being too long and the sky too hot. _Now_ is perfect, yes, of course, now. Her heart preens with approval. She pulls Therese into her lap and doe eyes widen up full of surprise, her fine hands automatically reaching to grip onto both sides of her shoulders.

Between wanting to spend more time to get to know this fine creature and having to set up operations for their apartment chain, the past few weeks have been pulling a strange sort of torture upon her warring heart. No, no more of that now, everything is done and ready. The firm can and will have to run without her micro-management for she has made a decision and is swearing up and down to do it the right way.

When she next speaks, her breath sounds almost like a whisper:

"Therese?"

Wide-eyed, the brunette nods and shifts around on her thighs for some more equilibrium.

"How about that dinner that I still owe you? I've been wondering… Would you like to go out with me… on a date?"

"Oh Carol, you don't owe me anything!" – The darling woman blushes softly as soon as she sees the intensity Carol's trying to convey within her look – "You're being so silly. But yes… I would love to, with you."

Therese's weight upon her lap feels so natural, so right, as if that is where she's meant to be every single time they whisper like this. Even when she shifts around to settle deeper within her arms, the lines of their bodies still fit against each other so perfectly… and her heart cannot help its daydreaming with this brand new, lovely and intense sensation. They make eye contact and her green has shifted to become a translucent, bright shade.

"I've been waiting for this for so long…" – So shyly, she confesses and Carol feels like her heart is ready to burst up into several thousand melodious pop songs. Pulling her slight body in around the waist, her greedy fingers have started to rub up and down along on the darling's back.

"Really? You have, haven't you?"

Instead of confirming out loud, Therese flushes even harder with her hands curling around the edge of her collar. Light as it is for a summertime-midday's touch, fingertips still seem to travel well past the thin threads of her skin.

She wants to know more, wants to hear everything (for the hungry panther always keeps a watchful eye) – "Since when darling? Tell me."

"Your teasing is terrible" – Therese makes a show of pushing herself away while fake pouting.

"Nuh-uh. Tell me and _maybe_ I'll let you move."

Squirming, she drags her gaze up for them to peer at each other more closely. A little pool of confusion is forming in her eyes as she parrots back – "Tell you…?"

"Hmmm?" – Still feeling dazed from the sensation of her body pressed upon her own, Carol bets whatever it takes that her grin must be looking more than just a little bit dopey and wild – "Well… I want to know, darling. Since when have you been waiting for me to make a move?"

Bright green stares at her some more and somehow the moment is turning too odd all of a sudden. The curious tension in her soft voice shakes and wakes her up from her giddy state

"What do you mean… Why are you asking me?" – The younger woman now looks like she's having doubts – "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

The pair of warm hands threading behind her neck is starting to loosen up as well and it's almost as if they are in the middle of two separate conversations.

"What you told me before going to bed the night we went back to your place?"

She can only stare blankly. That night, oh, that night. Other than the vague memory of their legs curling together underneath thin sheets and (maybe?) some wandering hands, there isn't a whole lot of things that can come to mind. Carol sighs with apprehension – "I'm so sorry. I don't think I do…"

Her hapless heart is thumping back and forth frantically. As silence stretches on between themselves, her own body is starting to feel so stiff and immobile: it's so, so terribly awful to see the way uncertainty usurps Therese's once happy grin. It takes the latter to try to move from her lap for her to snap back into reality – she squeezes the darling's fine waist to steady and pulls her back in.

"No, please. Please stay with me?"

With her head stiff and leaning away, green eyes now look too sad for her to comprehend or to function in any way whatsoever.

"Darling, what did I tell you?"

"I… It's not a big deal, it's okay." – Her downturned face and grim mouth are telling the complete opposite and Carol feels so close to yelling at her own damn self out of frustration.

"Of course it is a big deal to me if it upsets you. I want to know… please?"

But the younger woman doesn't look like she wants to talk any further. Sensing discomfort apparent in her body language, she has no other choice but to let her slip away and to stop insisting even as all the alarms in her wild heart are ringing for her to fix it _now_. Right this moment. (She sighs wistfully.)

Therese stands up back on her feet, moves a few short steps away before clearing her throat and they both know that it is done to assume some sort of normalcy back into the distance now growing between their lone bodies.

"Um. So, let's go to that panini place two blocks away from here?"

Wordlessly, Carol can only nod and follow her light footsteps outside – there where it's much too cold and too far away from the warmth of their newly-found heaven.

7.

For lack of a better description, "lunchtime together" turned out to be quite a bit of a miserable affair. She knew better than to displease her darling Therese any further and the latter also tried to make small talk… but all things considered, everything just was not the same between the both of them.

It’s like a small cog had gone wrong somewhere very significant.

Green shades stopped meeting her eyes as often and whenever they did, she could detect this one look in them that was quite blank: blank and _careful_ in the thought-out way that'd happen whenever someone really wanted to wrap up all of their feelings just to put them away. The mismatch is awful to witness – jarringly so – for the wonderful person she has come to know for the past few weeks is made out of all broad lines and deep and intense ideas. Colors and words. Anything, everything but "intentionally blank".

In and of itself, that gaze is more than enough for her to want to dig down into the base of this and try to understand Therese so much better. Taking a deep breath, she nods to herself with determination.

Out on the pavement alone to wait for her lovely bedmate who has gone to the restroom after their meal is paid for and eaten, she runs one hand along on the sturdy structure of her bike. It's a lovely thing, well-cared for and perfectly fits the younger woman down to the brilliant color of her eyes. There's even a light brown leather bag attached to the structure – dangling right next to the back wheel in this light breeze.

Oh, her beautiful, wonderful darling. Of all things… Carol is growing smitten over a damn _leather satchel_. Who could have thought?

She has to admit that when they stepped out from the office building earlier, the sight of her darling approaching her bike locked against the streetlight's metal post was more than enough for her heart to sink deep, so deep down into its warmest summer's daydreaming pool. The pink-liquid, heart-shaped pool where one's heart swims into to daydream about the one it most desires… everyone has one of that built somewhere deep within their psyche, handy and open at all hours of the day, right?

Squeezing on one of the bike's handles, Carol smiles thinking about the way they've walked next to each other during the short trip to get there, surely looking like a montage captured straight from one of the sappiest rom-coms filmed in New York.

Truth be told, she is having a hard time imagining what could have made Therese so upset earlier. She'd said something that night before falling asleep, is what she's managed to gather… but what exactly? What could it be? It couldn't have been anything so bad or stupid… No, of course not – otherwise the young woman wouldn't have stayed the night and then all of the morning that followed, she's said it herself.

She absently pulls on the bike's tiny bell and the squeaky sounds it makes somehow manage to cheer up this whole corner of the street, in front of _their_ Palace Lunchtime and maybe even beyond, well further than that.

At that same exact moment, Therese walks out and she's so terribly glad to see that an amused smile is peeking around soft lips. Well. Soft or not, it's not like she would _know_ … but after all, history has proven time and time again that her imagination is hardly ever foolish: A sigh escapes inwardly, falling into the little pool quite like a bright green leaf.

"Having fun without me?" – Her soft voice wonders and Carol grins with intense hopes that maybe she can fix this.

Stepping back to let her darling unlock the bike, when they come face to face with each other one more time the green, bright and open shade of her eyes is almost back. The guarded sheen has faded away almost entirely and she falls into step with Therese – who’s now leading the way on a seemingly aimless walk not in the direction of her office building.

They both spend some time staring at her sparkly green bike in silence.

"Therese, darling. About earlier…" – She ventures – "Can we talk about it?"

The young woman rubs one finger against leather absently – "Do you have to get back to work soon?"

"Not at all if you don’t want me to. I kind of fix my own hours, really."

Therese softly hums and looks around at the red light separating them from a small park so green on the other side of the street. When their eyes meet – once again after having spent far too long apart – she thinks that bright green is looking kind of …embarrassed and shy?

Past the short walk, they settle down into one of the calmer corners and their thighs are almost pressed flush through the soft fabrics of summer clothes.

"So–"

"Well"

They start at the same time and Carol is amazed to find out that after all these years, she still is quite capable of chuckling like a shy schoolgirl.

"Please tell me darling, whatever it is."

"You told me that you'd been so busy with work that there wasn't time to think of any other thing in your life. And you…" – Therese shifts her eyes away – "Told me you liked me too. Asked me to wait for a few more weeks, to be patient before we could start anything…"

A small second passes and she scratches her brow while mumbling – "I mean, it's quite alright. It was late and we were both getting really sleepy. I'm blowing this all out of proportions, I’m sorry."

Carol’s breath stutters, one, two, three intakes before it all gets stolen away within a powerful fit of compassion. She thinks she can imagine the feeling quite well: the horrible possibility of being the only one having feelings. Waiting and waiting _alone_ … all in the meantime the person (she herself!) Therese has been waiting for isn’t even aware of their mutual compromise!

If it were to be her who’d had to go through a single moment of that, of course she would have been oh so terribly upset as well. Not to mention all of these long weeks where they’ve been playing, teasing panther and prey and she had absolutely no idea whatsoever.

She reaches out to comfort when her darling offers up a shy little shrug after talking – as if trying to tame and downplay her very, very valid situation. Now that Carol is finally made aware, she won’t ever stand to tolerate any of it.

“Therese, please don’t say that. It is not alright, never alright. I’m so sorry for forgetting, do you believe my words?”

Her arms circle around fine shoulders and she is happy, relieved beyond measure when Therese quietly lets her own face snuggle against the collar upon the top of her blouse. This will blow over, it has to. They will be all right, everything will be alright and soon enough this tiny little hitch won’t be anything more than an anecdote to describe their strange beginning together.

But just this one more thing. Before any of that, before starting anything at all, her dearest darling has to _know_.

“Will you listen to me?”

Comes forth a very soft hum – “Tell me…”

“I am sure, absolutely certain that that was not just some sleepy mumbling to try and get you to spend the night right next to me. And I am so sorry that I can’t seem to remember all the finer details that took place” – Rubbing on her arms, Carol lets their bodies face each other and maintain eye contact.

“There’s no such thing as overreacting or “blowing it all out of proportions” like what you’re telling me. You are sensitive, I know and I like you as you are… even from the beginning I think, when you handed me my first martini of the night and then grinned at my awkward stuttering. Do you trust me?”

Therese lets out a pensive noise, green eyes roaming all over her face like they’re still trying to look for more answers.

“Again, you’re very sensitive and full of feelings and _I like you_ for it. I think… I want to be with you… I’ve been wanting to ask but there just wasn’t any perfect moment. I’m not saying this just to soothe you, I really mean it.” – Both cheeks burning the same color as her love-sick pool, she stares at her dreamy darling and is happy beyond measure to see bright, intense emotions now beaming back as well. Oh, Christ, finally. _Finally_ she is doing it right.

A bit of patience really makes everything all worth it in the long run…

“Darling Therese, so would you? …Be with me? Leave this bumpy little road well behind us?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine that this chapter takes place after one of their first few nights together
> 
> And the poached plums come from a recipe I read on The Skirt Chronicles, the whole setup looks like this: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9XtZTFjy5n/
> 
> Enjoy :)

8.

Waking up before Therese – still feeling groggy after some very long hours of deep rest and sweetest dreams – she spends a quiet moment to look around and to explore all of her own surroundings.

There's still some time before the sun will reach its highest spot on top of the warm, blue sky. The blanket is a bit chafing but still, nothing worth complaining about; there's a fine mass of dark hair threatening to poke into her nose and the lovely figure she has kissed last night is currently one foot much too far away from where she rests…

Now, _that_ does sound like bad news.

Knowing that her darling is still asleep from the way her shoulder's lifting up and down to a steady rhythm – looking so sweet and delicate on the further side of her pool, love-sick, she moves her hair out of the way before carefully swimming closer for her darling's back to press flush upon her front. Each new inch together convinces her to never let them spend another night apart. When their breathing joins within the same cadence, she starts to engulf the younger woman and feels like their warm bed is made out of white fluffy clouds.

Carol looks down to the body of her beloved and notices some new details: She herself has never looked like this… not before Rindy or even before her marriage, so long ago. She's lithe, compact yet so incredibly soft to the touch and her own body can still recall the way she's settled up on top last night – pressing down with all of her weight, intuitive with a great amount of attention.

Green eyes that never wanted to look away from where she was, how she had asked for more without having to speak anything.

Against her own effort to stay still and feel sleep course through the precious body inside her arms, Carol finds herself shiver with the stray last pieces of reminisced pleasure. Maybe that abrupt movement is what wakes her up at last, for she now is awake surely, squirming and making a motion to stretch every which way. Always, each day a brand new thing to discover, a venture so exciting so long as it is spent right here, right next to Therese's side.

But does her darling want to shift away? Already? Oh, no, that is _not_ going to happen anytime soon (not at all if she can help it). She makes a disgruntled noise and tightens up the arm locking around her warm belly – "Don't go."

Aware that her voice does sound so soft and clingy, Carol still feels like boasting at the way her darling accepts without too much hesitation. They are quite in sync, who here can deny it? Effectively, the latter stops moving and deflates to stick both of their bodies flush together once more… although it does not last long.

Only one or two more moments pass by before she starts shifting again and Carol can hear the way she herself growls so loudly

"Don't go… You told me that you were free all of today…"

And as a response, Therese rubs the fingers possessively splaying atop of her fine stomach – "I just want to turn around to see your face when I talk to you, you big bad octopus."

Ah. Yes. Exhaling into fine dark hair, she lets her darling turn around before tightening her arm up once more – this time even with a little bit of a squeeze. The giggle that follows warms her down to her toes and she couldn't care less about the blush that she's sure is coloring bright red all of her features.

"Don't be mean, you know that I like you so."

"And I like you so much as well" – The darling young woman pecks her on the lips once, twice before pressing her face into the crook of her neck with some sleepy yawning – "Is this how you are in the morning? Did you sleep well?"

"Only because I am with you. And I've never had a night better than this." – Carol responds with absolute conviction and then only grins when her darling reaches up, without seeing, and pinches her on the cheek for the innocent crime of sweet-talking.

"Oh, you…"

" _Oh, me_ what?"

"You know."

So fondly, she rolls her eyes even though she's sure Therese can't see anything at all, hidden as she is against her bare body – "Tell me? I don't know."

"It's just that normally you are this… well, this elegant and suave person. I've seen the way you are at work, and even whenever we go out for lunch–"

Raising goosebumps everywhere they touch, her fine fingertips first dance upon the top of her arm, then trail their way alongside one clavicle unhidden by their skin contact and Carol finds herself smiling warmly.

"But I quite like you like this as well, all blushy, clingy and everything. This is new."

Now her smile is spreading into a full-blown grin, lips stretching out so much wider than what they are used to.

"Elegant and suave? Now _who_ is this grand dame you've been spending time with?" – Isn't her darling the funniest one she has ever met? With her own lovely and terribly breathtaking ways? – "I'm a foolish mess around you honey, surely you must have noticed by now."

But Therese doesn't look like she's buying her words at all. Nose scrunching, she leans back to look at her with squinted green and a playful smile around sweet lips.

"What are you talking about…"

After several more seconds spent staring at each other in amused contemplation, Carol shrugs with a soft grin – "I think I'm always on the verge of tripping on my own two feet whenever you're near. Might have done just that once or twice, really… Are you _sure_ you've never noticed?"

"Huh" – Still looking pensive as if she's gotten her legs pulled, the younger woman snuggles back in with her chuckle through ways of the top of her nose, light and breathy – "Well, alright then. I'll make sure to catch you the next time that you do."

9.

Once again, their silence does not last long. When Therese pushes one palm upon her shoulder with a sort of finality (and peels herself away), she stifles a pout and has to accept that their lovely cuddly morning might end up being so much shorter than expected.

"Do you like plums?"

Huh. She blinks at the unexpected question. Plums?? Does she like them? Carol cannot say that they are her most favorite thing to eat ever, but it is in season after all and a good bite of juicy fruit has never meant to hurt anybody. So she says yes and Therese goes on

"Do you like Greek yogurt and pistachios?"

Chuckling at the randomness of her line of questioning, she shrugs positively since she has never wanted to deny her beloved anything at any rate.

"Oh, cool. Before you came over last night I made some poached plums for us to have for breakfast."

"Did you?" – Her ribcage gets short-circuited and then lit up like a bright, young star at the lovely way the darling woman is rubbing her face against the bare skin below her neck. Absolutely _phenomenal_ , she really does like using just this one word to describe Therese. Then just because her self-control is practically non-existent, she cannot help but tease:

"My darling is a fancy one! But… what would you do if I told you that I _despised_ poached plums with all of my heart?"

"Uh" – Startled, Therese glances up, rolls her eyes in exasperation and punches her in the arm when she can see that Carol's only trying to be so annoying.

"Ugh, _you_. Fine. How about some boring omelets, hm? What do you say? Just some salt and pepper to go along with it?"

Nooo. No eggs allowed. Might as well just send her back to her cold apartment right about now, right this moment – "But darling, I really _really_ don't like eating eggs in the morning…"

"Oh, I know that. Now come on then, be nice and come have breakfast with me?"

10.

"So… what is your favorite dessert?"

The delivery of this conversation starter goes a bit clumsy and she wonders about whatever it is that could have made Therese find her "elegant and suave" at all.

Upon her prompting, with a soft inquisitive sound, lovely green shades look up from the spoonful of pistachios getting dipped into rose water and plum syrup.

Head propped up against one palm, Carol runs the other one around the base of her neck underneath the (very) thin t-shirt she has put on – "Do you remember when we first met? We shared some chocolate flan and everything. I just noticed that it's been a while since I last saw you enjoy any of it."

"Oh! That. I completely forgot about it" – Nonchalantly, Therese stretches her whole upper body like a lithe fluffy cat beneath her caress (and Carol is losing her cool) – "I guess I just don't like it that much now."

"Now?" – _Now_ that they are together?

"Now that I've grown up I mean… Do you remember me telling you that I grew up in a Catholic orphanage?"

Of course she does remember. Carol winces but makes an intense effort to keep from looking too terribly stricken: making this topic revolve around her own ideals of parenthood instead of really listening to what Therese has to say would be such an insensitive and inappropriate move.

Maybe her darling is still able to feel it somehow, because all within a very quick moment she has reached out for their palms to meet in contact – "I really am fine Carol, please don't worry. So, well… Dannie, one of the owners of that pub I met you in, is the first friend I had when I started going to a "real" school instead of grammar classes organized by the Sisters. He and his brother Phil more or less asked his parents to treat me like the third sibling."

"Our first meal together his mom made us this enormous batch of chocolate flan. Can you imagine how _mind-blowing_ that was for a tiny kid like me, having always lived in the orphanage? All that chocolate, that richness. Not to mention the crunchy buttery base" – Therese grins fondly and she positively has to fight herself to keep from dipping her beloved into the longest kiss ever – "Aw, now you're making me crave for some of it again."

They make eye contact and Carol is overwhelmed with the way her smile can still be so joyful, so _unmarred_ even after all of her hardships. Oh, her brave, her courageous and breathtaking darling! With a deep inhale, something in her heart gives out and she moves nearer. Therese must never have to go through another day feeling cold or sad ever again: for as long as she'll still allow for Carol to linger by her side, she promises herself to be doting and to give her every single thing that she could.

"It ended up being my favorite thing to eat when I was younger, around that age when they took me in… But I guess I just prefer lighter foods these days. I've never told them though, I just don't want to ask them to change the way they express their love for me" – Therese shrugs with only one shoulder and looks at her.

"After all, it is still our oldest tradition as a family together. So you know, now the two of them still bribe me with it whenever they want to ask me to help them out."

To treasure this story the way it rightfully deserves, she absorbs everything in silence while holding her darling's gaze: the connection between them crackles and snaps with electricity, all so warm that she almost can't believe it.

At first waiting for a verbal response – the reaction she herself is more prone to – after a few moments Therese's smile blooms the longer they're face to face and now her deep dimples are promising her so many more secrets. Carol exhales and knows that patience always yields the sweetest prize.

"My sweet girl… Thank you so much for telling me. You _know_ that I will keep all of your tales safe within my heart for forever, don't you?"

So bashfully, instead of an answer the younger woman just makes a light hum and offers the few last pistachios still left rolling around in the bottom of her jar, now waiting for their final leap – "Well, so that's the whole story really. Do you want some more? I toasted them fresh from yesterday as well."

Much like a lovesick bee, she keeps moving closer to approach her sunflower now curling against the sweetest wind. What other new things are there for them to discover today? And what else will they talk of?

"Therese, my darling. Will you be with me?"

The hand holding her small pile of crunchy treasures hovers in the air… And green eyes blink rapidly in confusion for one long moment before the younger woman manages to find her soft voice back – "We _are_ together, Carol. You and me. What do you mean by that?"

She wiggles fingers and Carol opens up to accept the pistachios getting fed into her mouth. While she is chewing, the darling girl drops what’s left back into her container before gracefully letting both of her hands be gathered within a vice-like grip – caressing and squeezing. Other than that, they are now just sitting there so immobile while she chooses all her next words.

"You might think that we’re moving a bit too fast, darling. You do think so, don't you…? It's only been a couple of weeks since we first met each other after all…" – At this, she can see that Therese is starting to chew around her lips with eyebrows twitching – "I am older than you, and with age I think it helps me know how to listen to the way my own heart beats."

"I am serious about our relationship together. Now, this, all of this is all me. You are _not_ obligated to push yourself to feel or to tell me anything you do not want to. I just… want you to know, that's all there is." – Ending with a courageous smile, Carol feels like she's finally being so light, so brave and all the other things she usually would not dare use to describe the state of her own heart – at least, not at all before Therese came on along.

Therese, oh, her darling Therese, she who now is shifting and beckoning her body in closer with a pair of eyes so determined in her special shade of green and arms widespread.

"Oh, God. You big big silly, I like you as well. I like taking care of you, spending time and cooking for you. No eggs for breakfast! I'm not too used to all of this yet, but I… thought that you already knew the way I felt for you."

Chin leaning upon the small mole situated by the furthest end of her clavicle (on that one exact spot she’d spent quite some time staring transfixed at this morning right before Therese woke up), she makes an appreciative noise and enjoys the smell of her darling's fine hair so so deeply.

"You’re in my apartment, wearing my sleep clothes and we really can't be fitting our two bodies any more closely than this. I handpicked plums to poach for you… Well, now that I’m saying it out loud it really doesn’t sound like it’s a lot, does it" – Her sweet shoulders shrug and Carol can feel the way they are moving all up to shift against her jaw.

"Carol, spend the weekend with me? Are you busy? I'll show you my favorite books. We can come soak in the bathtub together and I can cook for you some more. I like you and want to be with you, I want to meet your daughter and then show up for brunch if your two best friends do invite me along. I want you to know all of my feelings so surely that there'll never be an ounce of doubt that's left."

Carol inhales and lets her worries melt against the unexpected strength found within such a compact body of her beloved. "Unexpected" can be good, can light her up with pleasure, and now all that’s left for her to do is to open up and let flow in all the wonders that come on along with trusting in her words.

"Is my wish too ambitious to come true?"

"Oh, darling. Tell me that you mean what you are saying?"

Tutting fondly, Therese starts to get up while drawing her nearer – "Well, come on with me then, I'll show you. Promise me that you’ll behave in the bathtub and I'll let you hold me like an octopus, like the way you did just this morning. I quite liked that as well, you know?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there :) Hopefully everyone here is safe and in good health
> 
> For a bit of an upbeat story, recently the square in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris opens up again (one year after the fire), and there is a sort of exhibition with photos showing the restoration process. They first used robots to collect rubbles, and are now using some fancy archaeology technology to determine the age of burnt beams and chairs in order to correctly restore the space inside. Takes time and effort, but maybe things will turn out fine.
> 
> On another note, for maybe a year now I have been waiting for this summer to start writing a long-ish story, around 40k ish words I'd say. (This story was a bit of practice, so I hope no one finds it too clumsy on the eyes :-) ) The main idea revolves around Flora, the goddess depicted in "Spring" by Botticelli (the official scan can be found here and it is so glorious: https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/botticelli-spring )
> 
> and me being kind of a dramatic young adult, this is a bit of a serious project for me. After all, it is Botticelli !! So, here we are, if my work(s) did entertain you, I hope that you'll enjoy this new story whenever it will come out :-)
> 
> In the meantime, take care and fight for good causes if you are able to. Adios for now! :)


End file.
